Concierge in Umbria Photo
When Maria Gabriella Landers first traveled to Umbria, Italy, as a young vocalist to study Italian, she was fully prepared to start a relationship with the country and its cultural offerings. How exactly it would change her life, though, she had no idea.
Lucy Gellman Photo
Two LLC registrations, one marriage, several moves, and a residence in Italy later, she has a better sense of how deep one’s love for a foreign country can be. One half of Concierge in Umbria with her husband Brian Dore, Landers appeared as a guest on WNHH radio’s “Law, Life & Culture” with Betsy Kim, talking about the nitty gritty of owning a travel business, and living abroad part-time.
The business started, she and Dore shared, as a tiny venture, the two of them taking guests who were sojourning in Umbria to local wine tastings and dinners. That exploded after 2006, when they were voted in Condé Nast’s top travel specialists in Umbria. A year or two later, they had graduated to top travel specialists in Italy, a list they’ve been proud to stay on since.
“We love the food, we love the language … we love everything about it,” she said, Dore nodding vigorously at the other mic. “One thing that is really important is getting a truly local experience.”
She and Dore plan about 100 of those local — and cross-country — experiences for groups every year, sticking to old favorites while also drawing inspiration from new opportunities that crop up. To hear about them, click on the audio below or find the episode in iTunes or any podcatcher under “WNHH Community Radio.”
